Rural student overcomes disability to succeed academically

When 19-year-old Tian Yanqing received her admission letter from Wuhan University in Hubei province — after scoring 631 on China's national college entrance examination, or gaokao — she could hardly believe it.

For a girl from a remote mountain village in Badong county, Hubei, where few students in recent years had entered a top-tier university, her achievement was extraordinary. But for Tian, the news meant more than academic success.

Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare genetic disorder also known as "brittle bone disease", she has lived a life defined by fragility and uncertainty. Even the smallest slip or playful bump could result in unbearable pain and months of recovery.